How do I restore photos from iPhone to computer?

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How do I restore photos from iPhone to computer

Restoring photos from your iPhone to your computer is a great way to create backups of your images and free up storage space on your device. With the right tools and steps, it’s easy to transfer photos off your iPhone and onto your Mac or PC.

Why Would You Want to Transfer Photos from iPhone to Computer?

There are a few key reasons to move your iPhone photos to a computer:

  • Create backups – Having photos stored on your computer as well as your iPhone gives you an extra copy in case of disaster. If you lose or break your phone, you’ll still have your images.
  • Free up space – Photos and videos can quickly eat up storage on your iPhone. Transferring them to a computer frees up room for more.
  • Easier editing – Editing and printing photos is often much easier on a computer than an iPhone.
  • Storing in the cloud – You can upload photos stored on a computer to cloud services like Google Photos or iCloud for safe keeping and easy access.

How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to Mac

There are a few different ways to move photos from your iPhone to a Mac computer. Here are the top options:

Use Image Capture (Mac)

Image Capture is an app built into Mac OS that easily transfers photos. To use it:

  1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac with a Lightning to USB cable.
  2. Open the Image Capture app on your Mac. It’s located in your Applications folder.
  3. Select the connected iPhone under Devices in the sidebar.
  4. Choose which photos to import:
    • Select “Import All” to transfer all photos.
    • Select “Import” on individual photos to transfer some.
  5. Choose destination album on your Mac.
  6. Click Import.

Image Capture will copy the photos to your computer while leaving the originals on your iPhone.

Use Photos App (Mac)

The Photos app on Mac can also import pictures directly from your iPhone:

  1. Connect iPhone to Mac with Lightning to USB cable.
  2. Open Photos app on your Mac.
  3. Click Import at the top right.
  4. Select the connected iPhone under Devices.
  5. Choose photos to import or select “Import All.”
  6. Click Import Selected.

The Photos app creates copies on your Mac while keeping everything intact on the iPhone.

Use AirDrop (Mac and iOS)

AirDrop uses Wi-Fi to share photos wirelessly between devices. To use it:

  1. Open Control Center on iPhone and turn on AirDrop.
  2. Go to Photos app and select images you want to transfer.
  3. Tap share icon and choose AirDrop.
  4. Select your Mac from the list of nearby devices.
  5. Accept the transfer request on your Mac.
  6. Photos will be saved to your Downloads folder.

AirDrop makes transferring photos quick without any cables required.

Use iCloud Photo Library

You can automatically sync iPhone photos across devices signed into your iCloud account. To set up:

  1. Make sure you’re using the same iCloud account on all devices.
  2. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Photos and turn on iCloud Photo Library.
  3. On your Mac, open System Preferences > iCloud and enable Photos.

New photos you take on your iPhone will automatically upload to iCloud and appear on your Mac and other linked devices.

Use Dropbox to Sync Photos

The Dropbox app can also keep your photos synced across iPhone and Mac automatically:

  1. Install Dropbox app on devices and sign in to your account.
  2. On iPhone, tap Share icon from a photo and choose Save to Dropbox.
  3. On Mac, open Dropbox folder to access synced photos.

Dropbox provides easy wireless syncing between your devices.

How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to Windows PC

On a Windows computer, you have slightly different options for importing iPhone photos. Here are some top methods:

Use Windows Photo Importer App

Windows includes an app specifically for transferring photos from iOS devices like the iPhone.

  1. Connect your iPhone to PC with USB cable.
  2. Open Photo Importer app in Windows.
  3. Select photos to import or choose “Import all new items now” for everything.
  4. Click Continue.
  5. Choose destination on computer to save photos.
  6. Click Import.

This built-in Windows app makes transferring photos very straightforward.

Use HEIF Image Extensions App

If some images aren’t transferring, you may need HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store. HEIF is a format used by newer iPhones that Windows can’t natively read.

To use the HEIF Image Extensions app:

  1. Install app from Microsoft Store
  2. Connect iPhone to your Windows PC.
  3. Launch the Photos app.
  4. Select “Import from USB device” to transfer photos.

This will allow Photo Importer to read HEIF images from your iPhone.

Use iCloud for Windows App

The iCloud for Windows app lets you sync an iCloud Photo Library to your PC:

  1. Download and install iCloud for Windows.
  2. Sign in using your Apple ID.
  3. Turn on iCloud Photos.
  4. New photos from iPhone will sync to an iCloud folder.

iCloud is useful for ongoing wireless syncing of photos across devices.

Email Photos to Yourself

A quick way to transfer images is to email them:

  1. On your iPhone, open a photo and tap the Share icon.
  2. Choose Mail and send the photo to your own email address.
  3. Open the email on your PC and save the attachments.

Emailing photos creates lower resolution versions compared to direct file transfer, but it’s handy in a pinch.

Use AirDrop from iPhone to PC

If both devices support AirDrop, it can transfer photos wirelessly like on a Mac:

  1. Turn on AirDrop and select photos on iPhone.
  2. Tap Share and choose AirDrop.
  3. Pick your Windows PC from the list.
  4. Allow receiving files in AirDrop settings on PC.
  5. Save photos from notification on Windows.

Not all PCs work with AirDrop, but it’s great when available.

How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive

Once photos are on your computer, it’s easy to copy them to an external hard drive for expanded backup storage. Here’s how:

On Mac:

  1. Connect external hard drive to Mac.
  2. Open Image Capture and choose photos to transfer.
  3. Change destination from Mac to external drive.
  4. Click Import to save copies to the drive.

On Windows:

  1. Plug external drive into Windows PC.
  2. Open File Explorer and navigate to photo folders.
  3. Select and copy photos.
  4. Paste photos to external drive folder.

Storing photos on an external drive provides safe off-device backup storage.

How to Export Photos from iPhone to SD Card

To move photos directly from your iPhone to a spare SD card:

  1. Insert SD card into computer or external reader.
  2. Transfer photos from iPhone to computer using a method above.
  3. Insert SD card into computer’s card slot.
  4. Copy photos to SD card.
  5. Eject SD card and insert into iPhone with adapter.
  6. Use Files app on iPhone to copy photos to SD card.

This allows you to free up iPhone storage by moving photos to a portable SD card.

How to Import Photos from iPhone to Lightroom

Adobe Lightroom on a computer can directly import and edit photos from your iPhone:

  1. Connect iPhone to computer running Lightroom.
  2. Open Lightroom and click Import.
  3. Select iPhone under Source.
  4. Pick photos to import or “Check All.”
  5. Click Copy or Move to transfer originals.
  6. Photos will save to Lightroom library.

Lightroom makes transferring photos into an editable collection quick and easy.

Troubleshooting iPhone Photo Imports

If you’re having issues transferring photos, try these tips:

  • Update your iPhone and computer software in case of bugs.
  • Try a different USB cable in case the current one is damaged.
  • On Windows, install HEIF Image Extensions for newer iPhone photos.
  • On Mac, restart Image Capture app if it freezes.
  • Check iPhone storage – full space can disrupt transfers.
  • Turn iPhone off and on again to reset connection issues.

With some simple troubleshooting, you should be able to successfully move iPhone photos to a computer or external storage.

Conclusion

Transferring photos from your iPhone to a computer, hard drive or SD card is easy with the right tools. Wireless options like AirDrop provide a quick way to move images between Apple devices. For regular backups, syncing to iCloud Photo Library automatically saves all your memories across gadgets. And apps like Lightroom make importing into an editable catalog smooth. So free up your iPhone and create extra backups of your photos by transferring them to computer storage.